Thursday, January 14, 2016

Abu Dhabi Health Authority Reports 2 MERS Cases

UAE in Relation To The Middle East

#10,886

In the briefest of statements, the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi (HAAD) announced over night they were treating two MERS cases. As you'll see, no information regarding age, gender, location, exposure, or onset dates is provided.

Abu Dhabi, 14th January,2016: The Health Authority - Abu Dhabi, HAAD, has announced two positive cases of the MERS Coronavirus (MERS CoV). Both cases are receiving the medical care required.

HAAD confirmed that it is coordinating with the Ministry of Health, MOH, and other relevant governmental entities, and has taken all necessary measures as per standards and recommendations from the World Health Organisation, WHO.

It has been nearly 7 months since the last notification of MERS cases in the UAE (seeWHO: UAE Reports 2 Asymptomatic MERS Cases), and while Saudi Arabia generates 90% of the known Middle Eastern MERS cases, the UAE ranks second in that region of the world.

Today's two cases represent the 82nd & 83rd MERS cases from the UAE. The bulk (50+) of the UAE's case reports appeared during the spring of 2014 (seeWHO MERS-CoV Risk Assessment Trip To The UAE) linked to a large nosocomial outbreak.

There are always questions about surveillance and reporting, and we've seen ample evidence of mild and asymptomatic infections, so no one really knows how many MERS infections there have been in the UAE, the Middle East, or the world.